News

The twenty-nine NATO Chiefs of Defence, as well as the invitee Chief of Defence from the Republic of North Macedonia, gathered in Ljubljana, Slovenia 13-15 September 19 for the final Military Committee conference of 2019.

Experts from the US (Kurt D. Donnelly, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Energy Resources, Department of State), Poland (Mr Piotr Naimski, Secretary of State, Prime Minister's Chancellery, Government Plenipotentiary for Strategic Energy Infrastructure) and Germany (Ms Michaela Spaeth, Deputy Director-General for Energy and Climate Policy, Federal Foreign Office) met with the Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and discussed with the North Atlantic Council energy developments in the Euro-Atlantic area and their security implications for Allies and the Alliance.

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg joined US Permanent Representative Kay Bailey Hutchison at the 9/11 and Article 5 Memorial at NATO Headquarters on Wednesday (11 September 2019), for a ceremony commemorating the 18th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. Mr. Stoltenberg recalled that the attack led to the invocation of the Alliance's collective defence clause for the first and only time in history, and that Allies stand united in the &#34;global, generational fight&#34; against terrorism. He said: &#34;Europe and North America must continue to stand together now as we stood together on 9/11, united in our commitment to protect our people and our values.&#34;

NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller welcomed the Alliance’s strong partnership with Sweden in a visit to Stockholm this week. Meeting with Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist on Tuesday (10 September 2019), the Deputy Secretary General praised Sweden’s contributions to international security, including through NATO missions in Afghanistan, Kosovo and Iraq. She thanked Sweden for its participation in NATO exercises and contribution to Baltic Sea security.

Speaking at the Oslo Nuclear Forum on Monday (9 September 2019), NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller highlighted the unique role played by nuclear weapons in the Alliance’s deterrence posture. She stressed that “NATO maintains full political control over nuclear decision-making”, explaining that “the fundamental purpose of NATO’s nuclear capability is to preserve peace, prevent coercion, and deter aggression”.

Celebrating the 15th anniversary of Bulgaria’s accession to NATO and the Alliance’s 70th anniversary, the traditional Ekiden relay marathon took place in central Sofia on Friday (6 September 2019). The popular annual event saw a record number of participants this year – 606 runners, organised in 101 teams. The ‘Marathon Plovdiv’ team won the race in 2 hours, 11 minutes and 36 seconds, beating the previous record by 4 minutes.

Lt Gen Steven Shepro, three-star US Air Force General Deputy Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, held his retirement ceremony today 6 September 2019 at NATO Headquarters, Belgium. The ceremony was presided over by General Tod Wolters, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), with Deputy Secretary General (DSG) Rose Gottemoeller and Chairman of the NATO Military Committee (CMC), Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach delivering opening remarks.

We welcome that the Ukrainian sailors seized by Russia last November are finally back home, as well as the film-maker Oleg Sentsov. This is a step in the right direction. NATO continues to call on Russia to fulfil all its obligations under the Minsk Agreements, including the release of all prisoners.

Senior diplomats, policy experts, academics and NATO officials are meeting in Riga on Thursday (5 September 2019) to discuss NATO’s nuclear deterrence and defence at a time when Russia’s destabilising actions and military build-up are undermining security in Europe.

Around 2,800 sailors and airmen from eight nations are gathering in Halifax on Friday (6 September 2019) for Cutlass Fury 2019 – the largest Canadian-led naval exercise to take place off Canada’s east coast in decades. The eleven-day exercise will begin on Monday, bringing together 20 ships and 36 aircraft in the waters off Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. Training will include air defence, defence against attack from enemy navy vessels, air-to-air combat and defence against submarines.